Lebanese Army Fires on IAF Jets

This is more of an attempt for the Lebanese army to assert itself in South Lebanon vis a vis Hizbullah than it is to shoot down the overflying Israeli jet. I don’t think they even wanted to hit it, knowing the repercussions it would bring. It also brings attention to the fact that Israel is continuing its overflights into the country despite last summer’s ceasefire. This comes amid recent reports that Hizbullah is back to its pre-war strength. The Lebanese army may also be flexing its muscle and riding a degree of prestige it gained after defeating the Islamist uprising in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp over the summer. Yes, it took them all summer to defeat a handfull of hardcore Islamist fighters, but last I hear from Lebanon, they’re issuing credit cards with army camouflage design in harmony with the rise in nationalist sentiment.

Lebanese soldiers opened fire midmorning with machine guns and light anti-aircraft weapons mounted on armored vehicles at two planes that flew by just east of Marjayoun near the border, a Lebanese security official said. A total of 150 rounds were fired, he added.

A senior military officer also said the army “confronted” the Israeli planes, but gave no details.

It was the first time Lebanese troops had opened fire on Israeli aircraft since the August 14, 2006 cease-fire that ended the Second Lebanon War.

It is also the first time since February that the Lebanese army, which deployed in the south after the fighting, has fired on the Israelis.

Since the cease-fire, the IAF has conducted regular low-altitude flyovers over southern Lebanon, a tactic that has sparked protests from Arab nations and the international community.

The UN has condemned Israel’s flyovers. In November 2006, the UNIFIL peacekeeping force’s chief liaison officer, Col. Alexan Lalan, told The Jerusalem Post that the daily IAF flyovers were strengthening Hizbullah and creating new militants for the Shi’ite group.

“The flyovers harm the credibility of UNIFIL, the credibility of the LAF and the credibility of the state of Lebanon,” Lalan said in a phone interview from his office in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura.

“Every flyover creates new Hizbullah militants and new sympathy for Hizbullah since it shows and demonstrates that UNIFIL and the LAF are not powerful and able to stop them,” Lalan said.